Emergency call notification for network services

ABSTRACT

Enhanced services, such as call restriction, call forwarding, anonymous call rejection, and proprietary services, may interfere with an emergency callback potentially preventing the callback from reaching the intended destination. Systems and methods for processing emergency calls to eliminate emergency callback failure in response to an emergency call being disconnected are provided herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to wireless emergency servicesand, more particularly, to systems and methods for performing wirelessemergency callbacks.

BACKGROUND

When a wireline 911 call is initiated, the call is directed to anassigned local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The PSAP answersthe call and receives an inbound telephone number or Automatic NumberIdentification (ANI) information. This number is used to query anAutomatic Location Identification (ALI) database, match it with thecorresponding address as a location of the caller, and forward thelocation information and inbound telephone number to the assigned PSAP.The PSAP can then deliver both the number and the location to theappropriate emergency service (e.g., fire, police and/or ambulance) fordispatch.

The above scenario works well when the 911 call originates from aresidence because every residential number is associated with a unique,static residential address. For mobile devices, such as mobile phones,however, the location changes as the mobile device user travels todifferent locations. Accordingly, the FCC has advanced a technologyknown as enhanced 911 (E911) to enable mobile devices to process 911emergency calls and enable emergency services to determine the locationof a caller.

Prior to 1996, wireless 911 callers would have to access their serviceproviders to get verification of subscription service before the callcould be routed to a PSAP. In 1996, the FCC ruled that a 911 call mustbe routed directly to the PSAP without receiving verification of servicefrom a specific mobile carrier. The FCC further ruled that the call mustbe handled by any available carrier even if the carrier is not thecaller's home carrier. Under the FCC's rules, all mobile phonesmanufactured for sale in the United States after Feb. 13, 2000, must beable to operate in analog mode and must include this special method forprocessing 911 calls.

The FCC has proposed a phased rollout of E911. In 1998, Phase I wasimplemented and required that mobile carriers identify the originatingphone number and the location of the base station or cell within a 1mile accuracy. Phase I E911 rules require a 7, 8 or 10 digit number toaccompany each 911 call. The number provides a callback number for thePSAP dispatcher to use if, for example, the call is disconnected.

In 2001, Phase II was implemented and required that each mobile carrierin the United States offer handset- or network-based location detectioncapability so that the caller's location is determined by the geographiclocation of the mobile phone within 100 meter accuracy. The FCC refersto this as Automatic Location Identification (ALI). Phase II E911 rulesprovide a more accurate location for the dispatcher to use.

The inventors postulate that the emergence of intelligent networkservices, such as call screening and call forwarding that enablewireless customers to screen incoming calls and forward incoming call toan alternate number, could create obstacles for 911 callbacks. Forexample, when a 911 call is disconnected, the PSAP will attempt acallback and the incoming call to the customer's mobile device will notinclude a tag or any special identifier to identify the call asoriginating from a 911 PSAP. The incoming call appears as normalincoming call to the mobile device. In some instances a calling partynumber is unavailable, resulting in an unknown number notification beingdisplayed on the mobile device. With this lack of vital information, thecall screening service cannot identify the incoming call as an emergency(911) callback. Moreover, if the customer has established callrestrictions for their account, the emergency callback may be restrictedentirely resulting in the customer receiving no identification as to anincoming call.

Call forwarding services could present another problem. When the PSAPperforms a callback and the callback number is subject to a callforwarding request, the incoming callback is automatically forwarded tothe forward destination number. A customer may select that only certain,perhaps important, numbers be forwarded while all others be terminatedat the primary phone number. In addition, some customers may elect toforward all calls using a call forward unconditional (CFU) service.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides several methods for processing anemergency call so as to eliminate potential callback failure.

One aspect of the present invention is a method for processing anemergency call. The method includes receiving an emergency call at amobile switching center (MSC). The emergency call originates from amobile device associated with a wireless telephone customer. Theemergency call is then routed a public safety answering point (PSAP).The MSC generates a request message that includes identificationinformation for the customer, such as the customer's mobile subscriberISDN number (MSISDN). Alternatively, the identification information caninclude the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The MSCroutes the request message to an emergency callback platform. Theemergency callback platform is configured to process the request messageto determine if the customer is subscribed to at least one enhancedservice that, when activated, interferes with an emergency callbackinitiated in response to the emergency call being disconnected from thePSAP. If the emergency callback platform determines that the customer issubscribed to the at least one enhanced service, then the callbackplatform generates a notification message. The notification message canbe directed to an enhanced service database configured to validate thecustomer and disable the enhanced service for a pre-determined timeperiod so as to allow completion of the emergency callback. Accordingly,the emergency callback platform routes the notification message to theenhanced service database. The database validates the customer basedupon the identification information and disables the enhanced servicefor a pre-determined time period. As an alternative to the above method,the emergency callback platform validates the customer and disables theenhanced service for the pre-determined time period.

The aforementioned method can further include receiving the emergencycallback, at the MSC, in response to the emergency call beingdisconnected. In response to the emergency callback, the emergencycallback platform or the enhanced service database can be queried todetermine a status of the enhanced service. The status can identifywhether the enhanced service is enabled or disabled. The MSC can thenconnect the emergency callback to the mobile device in accordance withnormal call delivery procedures.

In one embodiment, the request message and/or the notification messageis an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message.

In another embodiment, the request message and/or the notificationmessage is a short message service (SMS) message.

In yet another embodiment, the request message and/or the notificationmessage is a CAMEL message.

In another embodiment, the request message and/or the notificationmessage is an out-of-band message.

In still another embodiment, the request message is routed to theemergency callback platform in parallel with the emergency call beingrouted to the PSAP.

In one embodiment, the enhanced service is one of a call restrictionservice, a call forwarding service, a bar all incoming calls (BAIC)service, an anonymous call rejection service, or a proprietary serviceprovided by one of a mobile carrier and a vendor.

In an alternative method, the request message can be generated by anemergency transit switch that is configured to receive and route allemergency calls to the appropriate PSAP. The functions performed by theemergency callback platform and enhanced service database remain thesame.

In another alternative method, the MSC can initiate a session with agateway mobile location center (GMLC) and the GMLC can generate an eventrecord for the emergency call that is sent to the emergency callbackplatform in lieu of the request message for similar processing.

In yet another alternative method, the request message is generated bythe mobile device.

A computer-readable medium that includes computer-executableinstructions for performing the above methods are also described herein.

Systems for implementing the above methods are also described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an exemplary wireless 911 call notificationscheme, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an exemplary wireless 911 callback routingscheme, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary wireless 911 callback routingscheme with call forwarding or other override feature(s), according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an exemplary wireless 911 call notificationscheme utilizing a 911 transit switch, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an exemplary wireless 911 call notificationscheme utilizing a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary mobile device andcomponents thereof, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein. It must be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merelyexemplary examples of the invention that may be embodied in various andalternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the word“exemplary” is used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as anillustration, specimen, model or pattern. The figures are notnecessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimizedto show details of particular components. In other instances, well-knowncomponents, systems, materials or methods have not been described indetail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

The 911 call notification and callback routing schemes described hereinare described with reference to wireless network elements common in aGlobal System for Mobile communications (GSM) network. Novel networkelements for processing 911 call notifications and handling callbackrouting functions are also described. It should be understood that thepresent invention as taught herein is not limited to GSM networks andthose skilled in the art will find the present invention equallyapplicable to other wireless networks including, but not limited to,networks utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA), frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA),wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), orthogonal frequencydivision multiplexing (OFDM), and various other 2.0, 2.5G, 3G (thirdgeneration), and above wireless communications systems. Examples ofsuitable enabling bearers include universal mobile telecommunicationssystem (UMTS), enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE), highspeed downlink packet access (HSDPA), and similar communicationsprotocols, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, an exemplary communications network 101 isillustrated. The illustrated communications network 101 includes amobile station 102 that is in communication with a mobile switchingcenter (MSC) 110. The radio access network elements, including any basetransceiver stations (BTS) and base station controllers (BSC) have beeneliminated from this view as the functions these elements provide arewell-known and do not directly affect the 911 call notification schemesand callback routing schemes described herein.

The MSC 110 is configured for handling switching operations within thenetwork 101. The MSC 110 also connects to location databases, such as ahome location register (HLR) 112. The HLR 112 provides routinginformation for mobile terminated calls and short message service (SMS)messages. The HLR 112 also maintains user subscription information. TheMSC 110 is also in communication with a gateway mobile switching center(GMSC) 114. The GMSC 114 provides an edge function for thecommunications network 101. The GMSC 114 terminates signaling andtraffic formats from the public switched mobile network (PSTN) 116 andconverts the signaling and traffic to appropriate protocols for usewithin the communication network 101. The GMSC 114 can also obtainrouting information from the HLR 112 for mobile terminated calls. ThePSTN 116 is in communication with at least one public safety answeringpoint (PSAP) 118. The PSAP 118 is typically controlled by a county orcity, and is responsible for answering 911 emergency calls anddispatching emergency assistance from police, fire, and ambulanceservices.

In the illustrated network 101, the GMSC 114 is in communication with a911 callback platform 120 and a call restriction database 122. The 911callback platform 120 and the call restriction database 122 can beintelligent network (IN) elements, such as service control points (SCP)to implement service control functions in accordance with features ofthe 911 call notification and callback routing schemes of the presentinvention, for example. As is known in the art, intelligent networksprovide intelligent services that are separated from the networkswitching functions performed by the MSC 110 and GMSC 114, for example.Accordingly, in an alternative embodiment, the functions described belowprovided by the 911 callback platform 120 and the call restrictiondatabase 122 can be implemented within the MSC 110 and/or GMSC 114.

The 911 callback platform 120 is configured to store customerinformation for services that may potentially affect 911 callbackoperations. The 911 callback platform 120 can include appropriateprocessing and memory facilities to store the customer information.Alternatively, the 911 callback platform 120 can be in communicationwith one or more networked databases, such as the call restrictiondatabase 122 to retrieve the customer information as needed. The callrestriction database 122 can periodically update the 911 callbackplatform 120 with a call restriction status for each customer. Iffurther information with regard to the specifics of a call restrictionplaced on a customer's account is required, the 911 callback platform120 can query the call restriction database 122 to acquire theinformation. The call restriction database 122 may act as a backup ofthe customer information stored within the 911 callback platform 120.

The 911 callback platform 120 can be configured to use the customerinformation to determine if a call restriction or other enhanced serviceis associated with a customer's account. If a call restriction or otherenhanced service is present, the 911 callback platform 120 candeactivate the call restriction or other enhanced service temporarily inaccordance with override procedures defined by the mobile carrier, agovernment body (e.g., FCC), or a vendor. The platform 120 may,alternatively, send instructions to the call restriction database 122 orother enhanced service database to deactivate the service in accordancewith override procedures defined by the mobile carrier, a governmentbody (e.g., FCC), or a vendor.

An enhanced service is used herein to refer to a service that may,during a 911 callback, interfere or perhaps prevent completion of a 911callback to the customer should the customer be disconnected from thePSAP 118. Examples of enhanced service include, but are not limited to,call forwarding services (conditional or unconditional), bar allincoming calls (BAIC) within the home public land mobile network(HPLMN), BAIC outside the HPLMN, anonymous call rejection (ACRJ), andany proprietary services offered by the mobile carrier and/or a vendorthat could potentially interfere or prevent completion of a 911callback. Enhanced service databases similar to the call restrictiondatabase 122 can be maintained for each enhanced service type.

911 Call Notification Scheme

Referring now to FIG. 1B, an exemplary 911 call notification scheme 100is now described with reference to the elements of FIG. 1A. Thenotification scheme 100 begins at step 124 when a customer initiates a911 call. The MSC 100 receives the 911 call and processes the callaccording to normal call processing procedures, at step 126. Inaddition, at step 126, the MSC 110 generates a new request message thatis used to request any enhanced services to be deactivated.

The request message can include identifying information, such as themobile station international ISDN number (MSISDN) or the internationalmobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and routing information, for example.In an exemplary embodiment, the request message is an unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD) message and includes the subscriber'sMSISDN and a steering string, for example, *911#. In the aforementionedembodiment, appropriate provisions are taken to utilize the USSDprotocol. The USSD-Req message is sent in parallel with the actual callso as not to interfere with the call. In alternative embodiments, anyprotocol that is capable of being delivered without interfering with the911 call can be used. For example, network CAMEL protocol and shortmessage service (SMS) can be used. Other alternatives are describedbelow.

At step 128, the MSC 110 sends the USSD-Req message to the HLR 112 toobtain routing information to the 911 callback platform 120. The HLR 112processes the USSD-Req message, at step 130, and routes to the 911callback platform 120, at step 132. The platform 120 receives theUSSD-Req message, at step 134, and determines if the customer whoinitiated the 911 call is a call restriction customer based on a callrestriction status stored within the platform 120 and/or the connectedcall restriction database 122. The platform 120 can also determine ifother enhanced services are enabled for the customer's account. If acall restriction or other enhanced service exists, the platform 120generates a USSD-Notify message, at step 136, to notify the callrestriction database of the call restriction status and provideinstructions to deactivate the service in accordance with overrideprocedures defined by the mobile carrier, a government body (e.g., FCC),or a vendor. Alternatively, the platform 120 may deactivate the serviceusing the override procedures in lieu of requesting action by anexternal system. The platform 120 can later report the deactivatedservice to the call restriction database 122.

At step 138, the platform 120 sends the USSD-Notify message to the callrestriction database 122. At step 140, the call restriction database 122receives the USSD-Notify message, validates the customer has asubscription to call restriction service and invokes an override statusfor a pre-determined period of time. The pre-defined time period can beany time period as defined by the mobile carrier. For example, PSAPs canperiodically report wireless call logs to the carrier so the carrier candetermine an average time for wireless 911 calls and set a time periodaccordingly.

911 Callback Routing

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an exemplary callback routing schemeis illustrated using the wireless communications network 101. Theillustrated callback routing scheme 200 assumes that a 911 callnotification has been executed as described in FIG. 1B. At step 202, a911 call is disconnected from the PSAP 118 and the PSAP initiates a 911callback process. At step 204, the call is sent to the PSTN. The PSTNdetermines the call is destined for a mobile carrier, at step 206, androutes the call to the GMSC 114, at step 208. At step 210, the GMSC 114receives the 911 call and generates a query to the HLR 112 for thesubscriber's profile. The GMSC 114 sends the query to the HLR, at step212, and the HLR 112 responds with the subscriber profile and a callbacktrigger. The callback trigger can be an intelligent network (IN) triggerfor invoking intelligent network functions present in the 911 callbackplatform 120 and any associated databases, such as the call restrictiondatabase 122, for example. The GMSC 114 sends the callback trigger tothe call restriction database 122, at step 214. The call restrictiondatabase 122 permits all calls including those from the PSAP callbacknumber, at step 216. This is a result of the notification scheme 100otherwise the call restriction database 122 would perform callrestrictions in accordance with call restriction settings for thecustomer's account. It should be understood that the IN trigger can besent directly to the platform and without the need for external systems,such as the call restriction database 122. Various systems incorporatinginternal database and networked database components are described abovewith reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

At step 218, the GMSC 114 initiates the normal procedures for calldelivery and obtains the roaming number from the HLR 112. The GMSC 114sends the call to the serving MSC (VMSC 110), at step 220. At step 222,the VMSC 110 connects the call to the mobile station 102 as normal.

911 Callback Routing with CFU

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, an exemplary callback routing schemewith call forwarding unconditional (CFU) 300 is illustrated using thewireless communications network 101. CFU service allows all calls to beforwarded regardless of the incoming number to a destination numberdifferent than the number dialed. The illustrated callback routingscheme 300 assumes that a 911 call notification has been executed asdescribed in FIG. 1B. At step 302, a 911 call is disconnected from thePSAP 118 and the PSAP initiates a 911 callback process. At step 304, thecall is sent to the PSTN. The PSTN determines the call is destined for amobile carrier, at step 306, and routes the call to the GMSC 114, atstep 308. At step 310, the GMSC 114 receives the 911 call and generatesa query to the HLR 112 for the subscriber's profile. At step 312, theGMSC 114 sends the query to the HLR 112. At step 314, the HLR 112receives the query and the HLR 112 does not invoke CFU service becauseit was deactivated in the prior executed 911 notification scheme 100.The HLR 112 processes the call as normal without CFU. At step 316, theGMSC 114 initiates the normal procedures for call delivery and obtainsthe roaming number from the HLR 112, at step 318. The GMSC 114 sends thecall to the serving MSC (VMSC 110), at step 320. At step 322, the VMSC110 connects the call to the mobile station 102 as normal.

911 Transit Switch Notification

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, an alternative 911 notification scheme401 using a 911 transit switch 402 is illustrated. The communicationsnetwork 400 includes the 911 transit switch 402 and is a modifiedversion of the communications network 100 presented in the previousfigures.

The notification scheme 401 begins at step 403 when a customer initiatesa 911 call. At step 404, the MSC 110 receives the 911 call anddetermines the call is a 911 call. At step 406, the MSC 110 forwards the911 call to the 911 transit switch 402. The transit switch 402 receivesthe 911 call and generates a notification message, at step 408. At step410, the transit switch 402 routes the 911 (voice) call to the PSTN 116for subsequent routing to the appropriate PSAP 118. During step 410 thetransit switch 402 also sends the notification message to the 911callback platform 120. At step 412, the 911 call is processed as normalby the PSAP 118. Any call restrictions are temporarily disabled by the911 callback platform 120 such that if the 911 call is disconnected, thePSAP 118 can perform a successful callback.

911 Call Notification via GMLC

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, an alternative 911 notification scheme501 using a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 504 is illustrated.The communications network 500 includes an E911 network 502 and a GMLC504 and is a modified version of the communications network 100presented in the previous figures.

The notification scheme 501 begins at step 506 when a customer initiatesa 911 call. The MSC 110 receives the 911 call and processes the callaccording to normal call processing procedures, at step 508. The MSC 110also initiates a session with the GMLC 504, at step 508. At step 510, aconnection is established between the MSC 110 and the GMLC 504. At step512, the GMLC 504 generates an initial event record of the 911 call. Atstep 514, the GMLC 504 sends the initial event record to the 911callback platform 120. At step 516, the platform 120 receives themessage and determines if the customer who initiated the 911 call is acall restriction customer based on a call restriction status storedwithin the platform 120 and/or the connected call restriction database122. The platform 120 can also determine if other enhanced services areenabled for the customer's account. If a call restriction or otherenhanced service exists, the platform 120 generates a notificationmessage, at step 518, to notify the call restriction database 122 of thecall restriction status and provide instructions to deactivate theservice in accordance with override procedures defined by the mobilecarrier, a government body (e.g., FCC), or a vendor. Alternatively, theplatform 120 may deactivate the service using the override procedures inlieu of requesting action by an external system. The platform 120 canlater report the deactivated service to the call restriction database122.

At step 520, the platform 120 sends the notification message to the callrestriction database 122. At step 522, the call restriction database 122receives the notification message, validates the customer has asubscription to call restriction service and invokes an override statusfor a pre-determined period of time.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an exemplary mobiledevice 600 for use in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. The mobile device 600 can be the mobile station 102,for example. Although no connections are shown between the componentsillustrated and described in FIG. 6, the components can interact witheach other to carry out device functions.

As illustrated, the mobile device 600 can be a multimode handset. FIG. 6and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, generaldescription of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of anembodiment of the present invention can be implemented. While thedescription includes a general context of computer-executableinstructions, the present invention can also be implemented incombination with other program modules and/or as a combination ofhardware and software.

Generally, applications can include routines, program modules, programs,components, data structures, and the like. Applications can beimplemented on various system configurations, including single-processoror multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based,programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.

The device 600 includes a display 602 for displaying multimedia such as,for example, text, images, video, telephony functions, such as, callerline ID data, setup functions, menus, music metadata, messages,wallpaper, graphics, and the like.

The device 600 can include a processor 604 for controlling, and/orprocessing data. A memory 606 can interface with the processor 604 forthe storage of data and/or applications 608. The memory 606 can includea variety of computer readable media, including volatile media,non-volatile media, removable media, and non-removable media.Computer-readable media can include device storage media andcommunication media. Storage media can include volatile and/ornon-volatile, removable and/or non-removable media such as, for example,RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD ROM, DVD,or other optical disk storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tostore the desired information and that can be accessed by the device600.

The memory 606 can be configured to store one or more applications 608,such as, for example, an E911 client application for generating 911 callnotification messages. The applications 608 can also include a userinterface (UI) application 610. The UI application 610 can interfacewith a client 612 (e.g., an operating system) to facilitate userinteraction with device functionality and data, for example,answering/initiating calls, entering/deleting data, configuringsettings, address book manipulation, multimode interaction, and thelike. The applications 608 can include other applications 614 such as,for example, add-ons, plug-ins, voice recognition software, call voiceprocessing, voice recording, messaging, e-mail processing, videoprocessing, image processing, music play, combinations thereof, and thelike, as well as subsystems and/or components. The applications 608 canbe stored in the memory 606 and/or in a firmware 616, and can beexecuted by the processor 604. The firmware 616 can also store code forexecution during initialization of the device 600.

A communications component 618 can interface with the processor 604 tofacilitate wired/wireless communications with external systemsincluding, for example, cellular networks, VoIP networks, LAN, WAN, MAN,PAN, that can be implemented using WiFi, WiMax, combinations and/orimprovements thereof, and the like. The communications component 618 canalso include a multimode communications subsystem for providing cellularcommunications via different cellular technologies. For example, a firstcellular transceiver 620 can operate in one mode, for example, GSM, andan Nth transceiver 622 can operate in a different mode, for exampleWiFi. While only two transceivers 620, 622 are illustrated, it should beappreciated that a plurality of transceivers can be included. Thecommunications component 618 can also include a transceiver 624 forunlicensed RF communications using technology such as, for example,WiFi, WiMax, NFC, other RF and the like. The transceiver 624 can also beconfigured for line-of-sight technologies, such as, for example,infrared and IRDA. Although a single transceiver 624 is illustratedmultiple transceivers for unlicensed RF and line-of-sight technologiesare contemplated.

The communications component 618 can also facilitate communicationsreception from terrestrial radio networks, digital satellite radionetworks, Internet-based radio services networks, combinations thereof,and the like. The communications component 618 can process data from anetwork, such as, for example, the Internet, a corporate intranet, ahome broadband network, and the like, via an ISP, DSL provider, or otherbroadband service provider.

An input/output (I/O) interface 626 can be provided for input/output ofdata and/or signals. The I/O interface 626 can be a hardwire connection,such as, for example, a USB, PS2, IEEE 1394, serial, parallel, IEEE802.3 (e.g., Ethernet—RJ45, RJ48), traditional telephone jack (e.g.,RJ11, RJ14, RJ25) and the like, and can accept other I/O devices, suchas, for example, a keyboard, keypad, mouse, interface tether, styluspen, printer, plotter, jump/thumb drive, touch screen, touch pad,trackball, joy stick, controller, monitor, display, LCD, combinationsthereof, and the like.

Audio capabilities can be provided by an audio I/O component 628 thatcan include a speaker (not shown) for the output of audio signals and amicrophone (not shown) to collect audio signals.

The device 600 can include a slot interface 630 for accommodating asubscriber identity system 632, such as, for example, a SIM or universalSIM (USIM). The subscriber identity system 632 instead can bemanufactured into the device 600, thereby perhaps obviating the need fora slot interface 630.

The device 600 can include an image capture and processing system 634.Photos and/or videos can be obtained via an associated image capturesubsystem of the image system 634, for example, a camera. The device 600can also include a video systems component 634 for processing,recording, and/or transmitting video content.

A location component 638 can be included to send and/or receive signals,such as, for example, GPS data, assisted GPS data, triangulation data,combinations thereof, and the like. The device 600 can use the receiveddata to identify its location or can transmit data used by other devicesto determine the device 600 location.

The device 600 can include a power source 640 such as batteries and/orother power subsystem (AC or DC). The power source 640 can besingle-use, continuous, or rechargeable. In the case of the latter, thepower source 640 can interface with an external power system or chargingequipment via a power I/O component 642.

Handset-Originated Request Message

An E911 client application can be configured to generate a requestmessage to be sent to the MSC 110 and directed to the appropriateservice database to disable services that may potentially interfere orperhaps prevent a 911 callback should the mobile station 102 and thePSAP 118.

The law does not require and it is economically prohibitive toillustrate and teach every possible embodiment of the present claims.Hence, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplaryillustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding ofthe principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, andcombinations may be made to the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims. All such variations,modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of thisdisclosure and the following claims.

1. A method for processing an emergency call originating from a mobiledevice associated with a customer, the emergency call having beenreceived by a mobile switching center (MSC) and connected to a publicsafety answering point (PSAP), the method comprising: receiving arequest message at an emergency callback platform, the request messagehaving be en generated by the MSC, and the request message seeking todetermine whether the customer is subscribed to an enhanced servicethat, when activated, interferes with an emergency callback that istypically initiated in response to the emergency call being disconnectedfrom the PSAP; determining, at the emergency callback platform, that thecustomer is subscribed to the enhanced service that, when activated,interferes with an emergency callback that is typically initiated inresponse to the emergency call being disconnected from the PSAP;responsive to determining that the customer is subscribed to theenhanced service, generating, at the emergency callback platform, anotification message directed to an enhanced service database that isconfigured to validate the customer and disable the enhanced service fora pre-determined time period so as to allow completion of the emergencycallback; and routing the notification message to the enhanced servicedatabase.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request messagecomprises a mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN), and the methodfurther comprises: validating, at the enhanced service database, thewireless telephone customer based upon the MSISDN; and disabling, at theenhanced service database, the enhanced service for a pre-determinedtime period.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request messagecomprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and themethod further comprises: validating, at the enhanced service database,the wireless telephone customer based upon the IMSI; and disabling, atthe enhanced service database, the enhanced service for a pre-determinedtime period.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message is anunstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the request message is a short message service (SMS)message.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message is aCAMEL message.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message isan out-of-band message.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestmessage is routed to the emergency callback platform in parallel withthe emergency call being routed to the PSAP.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the enhanced service is a call restriction service.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the enhanced service is a call forwardingservice.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced service is abar all incoming calls (BAIC) service.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the enhanced service is an anonymous call rejection service. 13.The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced service is a proprietaryservice provided by one of a mobile carrier and a vendor.
 14. The methodof claim 1, wherein the notification message is an unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD) message.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein the notification message is a short message service (SMS)message.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message isa CAMEL message.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the notificationmessage is an out-of-band message.
 18. The method of claim 1, whereinthe notification message is routed to the emergency callback platform inparallel with the emergency call being routed to the PSAP.
 19. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: the emergency call beingdisconnected from the PSAP; receiving the emergency callback at the MSCresponse to the emergency call being disconnected from the PSAP;querying the enhanced service database to determine a status of theenhanced service, the status identifying whether the enhanced service isone of enabled and disabled; and connecting the emergency callback tothe mobile device in accordance with normal call delivery procedures.20. A method for processing an emergency call via an emergency transitswitch, the emergency call originating from a mobile device associatedwith a customer, the emergency call having been received by a mobileswitching center (MSC), routed to the emergency transit switch, andconnected to a public safety answering point (PSAP), the methodcomprising: receiving a request message at an emergency callbackplatform, the request message having been generated by the emergencytransit switch, and the request message seeking to determine whether thecustomer is subscribed to an emergency service that, when activated,interferes with an emergency callback that is typically initiated inresponse to the emergency call being disconnected to the PSAP;determining, at the emergency callback platform, that the customer issubscribed to the enhanced service that, when activated, interferes withan emergency callback that is typically initiated in response to theemergency call being disconnected from the PSAP; validating thecustomer; and disabling the enhanced service for a pre-determined timeperiod, so as to allow completion of the emergency callback.
 21. Themethod of claim 20 further comprising: receiving the emergency callback,at the MSC, in response to the emergency call being disconnected fromthe PSAP; querying the emergency callback platform to determine a statusof the enhanced service, the status identifying whether the enhancedservice is one of enabled and disabled; and connecting the emergencycallback to the mobile device in accordance with normal call deliveryprocedures.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the request messagecomprises a mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN), and validating thecustomer comprises validating the customer based upon the MSISDN. 23.The method of claim 20, wherein the request message comprises aninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and validating thecustomer comprises validating the customer based upon the IMSI.
 24. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the request message is an unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD) message.
 25. The method of claim 20,wherein the request message is a short message service (SMS) message.26. The method of claim 20, wherein the request message is a CAMELmessage.
 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the request message is anout-of-band message.
 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the requestmessage is routed to the emergency callback platform in parallel withthe emergency call being routed to the PSAP.
 29. The method of claim 20,wherein the enhanced service is a call restriction service.
 30. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the enhanced service is a call forwardingservice.
 31. The method of claim 20, wherein the enhanced service is abar all incoming call (BAIC) service.
 32. The method of claim 20,wherein the enhanced service is an anonymous call rejection service. 33.The method of claim 20, wherein the enhanced service is a proprietaryservice provided by one of a mobile carrier and a vendor.
 34. A methodfor processing an emergency call via a gateway mobile location center(GMLC), the emergency call originating from a mobile device associatedwith a customer, the emergency call having been received by a mobileswitching center (MSC), and having been connected to a public switchedanswering point (PSAP), the method comprising: receiving an event recordat an emergency callback platform, the event record having beengenerated by the GMLC; Determining, at the emergency callback platform,that the customer is subscribed to an enhanced service that, whenactivated, interferes with an emergency callback that is typicallyinitiated in response to the emergency call being disconnected from thePSAP; validating the customer; and disabling the enhanced service for apre-determined time period, so as to allow completion of the emergencycallback.
 35. The method of claim 34 further comprising: receiving theemergency callback, at the MSC, in response to the emergency call beingdisconnected from the PSAP; querying the emergency callback platform todetermine a status of the enhanced service; the status identifyingwhether the enhanced service is one of enabled and disabled; andconnecting the emergency callback to the mobile device in accordancewith normal call delivery procedures.
 36. The method of claim 34,wherein the identification information is event record comprises amobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN), and validating the customercomprises validating the customer based upon the MSISDN.
 37. The methodof claim 34, wherein the event record comprises an international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI), and validating the customer comprisesvalidating the customer based upon the IMSI.
 38. The method of claim 34,wherein the event record is routed to the emergency callback platform inparallel with the emergency call being routed to the PSAP.
 39. Themethod of claim 34, wherein the enhanced service is a call restrictionservice.
 40. The method of claim 34, wherein the enhanced service is acall forwarding service.
 41. The method of claim 34, wherein theenhanced service is a bar all incoming calls (BAIC) service.
 42. Themethod of claim 34, wherein the enhanced service is an anonymous callrejection service.
 43. The method of claim 34, wherein the enhancedservice is a proprietary service provided by one of a mobile carrier anda vendor.
 44. A system for processing an emergency call, the systemcomprising: a callback platform in communication with a mobile switchingcenter (MSC), the callback platform being configured to receive andprocess a request message to determine that a wireless telephone servicecustomer is subscribed to an enhanced service that, when activated,interferes with an emergency callback that is typically initiated inresponse to the emergency call being disconnected from a public safetyanswering point (PSAP); the callback platform being further configuredto validate the wireless telephone service customer and disable theenhanced service for a pre-determined time period so as to allowcompletion of the emergency callback.
 45. The system of claim 44 furthercomprising: an emergency transit switch, in communication with the MSCand the callback platform; the emergency transit switch being configuredto generate the request message and route the request message to thecallback platform.
 46. The system of claim 44 further comprising: agateway mobile location center (GMLC), in communication with the MSC andthe callback platform; the GMLC being configured to generate the requestmessage and route the request message to the callback platform.
 47. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for processing an emergency call, the methodcomprising: receiving a request message, the request message having beengenerated by a mobile switching center (MSC), and the request messageseeking to determine whether a customer is subscribed to an enhancedservice that, when activated, interferes with an emergency callback thatis typically initiated in response to the emergency call beingdisconnected from a public safety answering point (PSAP); determiningthat the customer is subscribed to the enhanced service that, whenactivated, interferes with an emergency callback that is typicallyinitiated in response to the emergency call being disconnected from thePSAP; responsive to determining that the customer is subscribed to theenhanced service, generating a notification message directed to anenhanced service database that is configured to validate the customerand disable the enhanced service for a pre-determined time period so asto allow completion of the emergency callback; and routing thenotification message to the enhanced service database.
 48. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the requestmessage comprises one of a mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN) and aninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).
 49. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the request message is oneof the following: an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD)message; a short message service (SMS) message; a CAMEL message; and anout-of-band message.
 50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 47, wherein the enhanced service is one of the following: a callrestriction service; a call forwarding service; a bar all incoming calls(BAIC) service; an anonymous call rejection service; and a proprietaryservice provided by one of a mobile carrier and a vendor.
 51. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein thenotification message is one of the following: an unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD) message; a short message service (SMS)message; a CAMEL message; and an out-of-band message.
 52. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for processing an emergency call, the methodcomprising: receiving a request message, the request message having beengenerated by an emergency transit switch, and the request messageseeking to determine whether a customer is subscribed to an enhancedservice that, when activated, interferes with an emergency callback thatis typically initiated in response to the emergency call beingdisconnected from a public safety answering point (PSAP); determining,following receipt of the request message, that the customer issubscribed to the enhanced service that, when activated, interferes withan emergency callback that is typically initiated in response to theemergency call being disconnected from the PSAP; validating thecustomer; and disabling the enhanced service for a pre-determined timeperiod, so as to allow completion of the emergency callback.
 53. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the requestmessage comprises one of a mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN) and aninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and validating thecustomer comprises validating the customer based upon one of the MSISDNand the IMSI.
 54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim52, wherein the request message is one of the following: an unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD) message; a short message service (SMS)message; a CAMEL message; and an out-of-band message.
 55. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein theenhanced service is one of the following: a call restriction service; acall forwarding service; a bar all incoming calls (BA1C); an anonymouscall rejection service; and a proprietary service provided by one of amobile carrier and a vendor.
 56. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 52, wherein the notification message is one of thefollowing: an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) message; ashort message service (SMS) message; a CAMEL message; and an out-of-bandmessage.
 57. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to perform a method for processing an emergencycall, the method comprising: receiving an event record, the event recordhaving been generated by a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), theevent record being associated with whether a customer is subscribed toan enhanced service that, when activated, interferes with an emergencycallback that is typically initiated in response to the emergency callbeing disconnected from a public safety answering point (PSAP);determining, following receipt of the event record, that the customer issubscribed to the enhanced service that, when activated, interferes withan emergency callback that is typically initiated in response to theemergency call being disconnected from the PSAP; validating thecustomer; and disabling the enhanced service for a pre-determined timeperiod, so as to allow completion of the emergency callback.
 58. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 57, wherein the eventrecord comprises one of a mobile subscriber ISDN number (MSISDN) and aninternational mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), and validating thecustomer comprises one of validating the customer based upon one of theMSISDN and the IMSI.
 59. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 57, wherein the enhanced service is one of the following: a callrestriction service; a call forwarding service; a bar all incoming calls(BAIC) service; an anonymous call rejection service; and a proprietaryservice provided by one of a mobile carrier and a vendor.